00642 Verges Booklet - Devon County Council

New Verges
Where new verges are created by major road improvements or new
road schemes, consideration should be given to the most appropriate
action to establish the verge sward.
In low fertility situations and where conservation interests are a
priority, natural colonisation of the verge is an option. This is
particularly appropriate on rocky embankments or where topsoil or
sub-soil low in nutrients is used to make up the verge.
Where there is a need to establish a sward quickly for visual or
stability reasons, or where high nutrient levels are likely to result in
weed problems, new verges will be seeded. A low growing, low
maintenance grass mix will be used, such as detailed in Appendix C.
This should enable the gradual colonisation of wild flowers over time.
Where practical, this standard mix should be of native provenance and
might be varied through the incorporation of a wider range of suitable
native grasses such as crested dog’s-tail, sweet vernal-grass, meadow
foxtail or meadow barley.
In certain cases, it might be desirable to supplement this with an
appropriate wild flower mix. This should be specially selected to suit
local conditions following consultation with the County Ecologist.
In grazed moorland situations, the normal presumption will be to use
a low maintenance mix (or equivalent) such as that detailed in
Appendix C.
Wherever practical, newly topsoiled verges will be prepared for
seeding by creating a fine tilth and then allowed to vegetate naturally
for a time. At this point, the decision can be taken on the need for
seeding. If seeding is required, the establishing vegetation will be
eliminated to achieve a weed-free seed-bed through the application of
a broad-spectrum herbicide such as glyphosate. Following further
preparation as necessary to create a fine tilth, the ground can be
seeded with the selected mix.
New verges will be maintained regularly until they are established and
free of harmful weeds.This will usually involve four cuts in the first year
(i.e. in March, May, August and October) and might require the use of
selective herbicides to control weed problems.